7-year-old girl dies after being swallowed by sand hole at Florida beach

Monitoring Desk

FLORIDA: Sloan Mattingly, a seven-year-old girl from Indiana, died while on vacation after she and her nine-years-old brother, Maddox, got trapped in a sand hole while playing, People reported.

The young girl was taken to the Broward Health Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead, while her brother is reportedly in critical condition.

Sandra King, a spokesperson for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, said, “Rescuers used support boards to keep the hole, which was about five to six feet deep, from collapsing during the rescue.”

A bystander who called 911 said the incident occurred on the beach in front of the High Noon Beach Resort in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The family was on a vacation in Florida.

In a video of the incident that has gone viral, bystanders can be heard saying, “There’s a child that they’re trying to get out.”

A woman named Sally Krouse organised a GoFundMe campaign for Sloan’s family, which has raised more than $33,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

In the description of the online fundraiser, Krouse wrote, “We know that no amount of money will bring beautiful Sloan back, but your donation can help bring Sloan home from Florida, cover funeral costs, and ease the financial stress as they learn to navigate their new world.”